Last May we ran a story about Buchanan, Michigan and if you haven’t had a chance to check out this hamlet yet, this Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. might be a good time to do so. Why? Because the town is having a holiday party. (Small towns can do that.) Sip some wine at Thomas Jolly Home & Garden (107 E. Front St.) while perusing vintage Christopher Radko ornaments (see above). Pick up some fun vintage books—and non-vintage snacks—at Alan Robandt’s antique shop (114 E. Front Street), and check out the contemporary selection (with brand names likes Alessi, Kartell, and Marimekko) at Front Gallery (they’ll also be serving refreshments at 207 E. Front Street). Come on—you know you need a getaway after all that quality family time.

I stopped into Divine Consign in Oak Park Sunday to check out the new annex they’ve opened to accommodate their booming business. I immediately spotted a fantastic couch: a showroom sample from Hughes N’Cho-Allépot Home. This sexy number, which features built-in end tables, is African padauk upholstered in antique silk velvet. It’s priced at an astonishingly low $1,760. Allepot happens to be an Oak Park resident; he’s got some chairs and ottomans in the store too. I’m not in the market for furniture, but I scored a Hable Construction pillow for just $15.

We’re sad to announce that after more than 30 years of business, Gold Coast Galleries Antique Store is closing its doors—but not before holding a liquidation sale of its enormous inventory this weekend. Victorian and Eastlake furniture, as well as Biedermeier mirrors and chairs and a monumental Chinese floor vase can be found among the 22,000 square feet of vintage radios, vitrines, sculpture, art glass, juke boxes, and much more. All is expected to go for pennies on the dollar. The sale is Saturday from 10 to 5 and Sunday from 12 to 3. Numbers will be distributed at 9:30 Saturday. 3250 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-327-7600.

Ever wanted to sell furniture, art, or accessories on eBay but weren’t sure how to navigate it? Yes, there are drop-off businesses around town that can help, but a new one deals solely with luxury goods. Luxe Life Auctions is the brainchild of former Baker Furniture marketing exec Lisa Zyhylij-Ackerman and her partners. If your item is worth at least $50, you can either drop it off at Luxe Life’s River North office or have it picked up. Ackerman and crew will evaluate it, determine the best price, photograph it, write a description, post it, and take care of payment and shipping. You pay 35% of the first $1,000 sold (28% for more than $1,000). Luxe Life is also a great source for collectors; in addition to the eBay store, the company has a shop on Ruby Lane, an online collective of antiques dealers. Recent deals include a Christian Dior limited-edition Casablanca china set that went for
$1,000 and Baccarat candlesticks (new in box) that sold for $180.

Antiquaire’s new shipment of gorgeous European antiques just arrived. The Highland Park shop’s collection of vintage and antique furniture is primarily French, but you can expect Italian, Spanish, English, Greek and Turkish goodies mixed in, as well as a Gustavian Swedish collection. Owner Melissa Edelman just sent me a few photos of the French treasures: a bleached oak trestle dining table (shown above), a brass tea cart; and a leather 1950s Chesterfield sofa, to name a few.

Months ago I was lucky enough to get a tour of an Edgar Miller apartment at 155 W. Burton Place that had been updated and furnished by Karen Mozer. It was quirky, fun, and entirely original. Now Richard Cahan and Michael Williams have produced a gorgeous and impressive coffee table book on Miller, who they call “Chicago’s forgotten renaissance man.” The original green man, Miller was a Chicago artist who used recycled materials and his own artistic skills (he was a painter, a carver, mosaic artist, and stained-glass artist) to turn old homes into works of art (he designed three other apartment complexes in the 1920s and 1930s, at 1734 N. Wells, 2150 N. Cleveland, and 1209 State Parkway). With stunning photos by Alexander Vertikoff, this book, Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home (Small Press United, $50), is a fitting tribute to Miller and will be of interest to anyone interested in Chicago history, art, or architecture.

Last week we checked out Repeat, a new vintage furniture and accessories shop we were alerted to by our friends at Thos. Moser. Repeat, owned by Joe Hunnewinkle and Tom Leahy, who owned Mudd, a card/gift store on Broadway, is a cross between a really great thrift store and a vintage furniture shop, with lots of funky, affordable midcentury finds. The owners scour thrift stores and sales in out-of-the-way places, and paint and reupholster where necessary. We spied a walnut table with an X inlay for $135; clean-lined nesting tables, three for $188; a reissue of a Sol Bloom wire and mesh catchall for $160. 1535 W. Division St., 773-278-7983. Open Thursdays–Sundays.

We are completely and utterly devoted to the Chicago design scene, and we love shopping at actual brick-and-mortar stores. But every so often, our eyes wander. While sourcing an item in our upcoming January/February issue (the chandelier in the private dining area at Sepia, which you will see if you pick up the mag in a month or so), I was introduced to Atlanta-based Pieces, from where the aforementioned fixture was purchased by local designer Gary Lee. This boutique has a great, user-friendly website. All of the merchandise is searchable by clicking on key (very key) words, like Brown (or Blue or Pink or Orange or Red or Black), Ceramic, Brass, Leather, Chrome, Lucite, Lamps, etc., displayed on a banner on the home page. Click on what interests you, and you will see all the options available in this category (above see a screen shot of some of what comes up under “Green”). It’s so very easy to shop this way… and the merchandise is a great mix of vintage and new, with a glam aesthetic. Just sayin’.

My phone is less than two years old and my friends say I have the equivalent of an early 90s bag phone with a two-foot antenna. I’ve been on the verge of pulling the trigger on an iPhone, but the pragmatist in me says to keep waiting to reap the benefits (and cost savings) of the next inevitable iPhone ‘upgrade’ Apple will launch—most likely the day after I buy one. But now I have one more reason to be jealous of my phone-fashion-forward friends, with the stylish new Elan Form Chilewich Case for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Created through a partnership between Sandy Chilewich and Griffin Technology, the impact resistant cover features the signature strong and easy-to-clean basketweave vinyl textile you’ll find in all Chilewich products: from bags, placemats and utility mats to woven floor mats and window shades. It’s about $40, and available in two colors (gravel and light gray) through the Apple Store and MoMa. Between this great new modern phone cover, and my inability to remember song titles (there’s an app for that), I think it’s finally time to join the iCrowd.

From the Bisazza Home Collection, a new take on the Louis-inspired chair, in white lacquer with gray velvet. So sophisticated, and at $900 for the chair sans arms, a great price (settee and armchair available, too). If you haven’t made it to the (relatively) new Bisazza showroom yet at 226 W. Kinzie (so glam! so gorgeous!), this is a good excuse. I wish I could tell you to hurry and get these chairs for the holidays; alas, the lead time (they’re made to order in Italy) is 8–12 weeks. Some things are worth the wait.

Tonight, Evan and Sandra Lewis of Evan Lewis are hosting a reception to celebrate Lewis’s new suite of tables, the Renzo Collection, as well as new wallcoverings by Christiaan Pretorius Studio. The wallcoverings, shown in the background here, are handpainted seamless canvases. Each design is unique in scale and color; there are no repeats. Evan’s tables, made of hand-rubbed steel and topped with glass, were inspired by the light-filled architecture of the Modern Wing at the Art Institute. Stop by any time between 5–8 p.m. at 3368 N. Elston Ave.

Four times a year, Primitive challenges an interior designer to create an environment in its showroom. Tomorrow night at a cocktail reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., see what Madeline Gelis has created. Can’t make the party? Her room will be on display ‘til January 30. 130 N. Jefferson.

Renegade Handmade is a fun little shop for crafty gifts—and what is craftier than embroidery? If you are a fan of this look, which is popping up everywhere these days, particularly on pillows (check out this recent round-up on Apartment Therapy), stop by the store November 21 for the opening of the “In Stitches Showcase,” featuring the work of 15 artists.